Permission granted for Portsmouth Naval Base demolition work

The city council has approved KBS Maritime's application, ruling work to demolish eight buildings was allowed under permitted development laws and did not require a full planning application process.

'Information has been reviewed by the council’s conservation officer and no objection has been raised,' the assessment by planning officers approving the project said.

'The information submitted is considered sufficient to demonstrate that the demolition works proposed would not cause any significant harm to heritage, local amenity or the highway network.'

KBS Maritime, a joint business run by KBR and BAE Systems to oversee repair and maintenance operations for Royal Navy ships while also managing base infrastructure, put forward the proposals mainly to provide extra car parking spaces.

The application followed the submission of several other similar schemes in recent months which allow the demolition of single buildings on the base for similar purposes.